Critic’s Pick: These United States

Given how much time Jesse Elliott, frontman of alt-country group These United States, spends on the road, it’s remarkable he’s also able to remain such a prolific songwriter. The band has released five albums in the past four years, the latest of which is a self-titled LP that was released last Tuesday. While TUS’ music has always retained Elliott’s penchant for narratives and storytelling, it has evolved from the euphoric honky-tonk and earnest Americana found on the band’s earlier albums to a mature, alt-country version of the Counting Crows, as exemplified on 2010’s What Lasts. With their eponymous album, the band not only retains plenty of honky-tonk and American balladry, but incorporates hints of ’60s garage and classic rock.